I need some help! I am considering buying a Leica (never owned one) and really need help figuring out which one would be best. I am a novice photographer and don't really need all the bells and whistles of the higher end Leicas. Looking for a Leica 'point and shoot' compact. Going to France for the first time, and want to take beautiful, amazing pictures. One of the D-Lux's??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

All I can offer is that I've had a D-Lux 4 for a number of years and travelled with it quite a bit. Since then they have improved it quite a bit, perhaps the biggest improvement being the extended zoom range. I have good quality 35mm SLR equipment , (Canon 5d mark 2 and L lenses ) which produce fantastic results, but at the cost of having to carry the not inconsiderable weight . Some of the pictures from the D-lux amaze me at times and unless you want to produce particularly large prints, the portability advantage may well win you over. There will always be the argument to consider the Panasonic equivalent, but the two year warranty and advantage of Leica " Passport" may be worth the extra, as if you are new as you suggest, then the additional included software may be well worth it. Read the instruction book and definitely consider buying the book by Mr White, I think it is from memory, I bought his version for the D-lux4 as an additional after market instruction book which is widely available . I think you'll have the ability to capture some amazing photographs whilst on your trip .

I think that you would really enjoy the versatility of the D-LUX 6. It features a decent zoom, a very fast lens and a beautiful view screen. It really is a lot of camera for the money. I have had my D-LUX 6 for only a few days but I carry it everywhere, now I never miss a shot!